Bowel cancer isn’t always eager to show symptoms. The warning signs that do appear are often vague and subtle. Daisy Fenwick from Essex knows this far too well. The 35-year-old at the time didn’t spot the culprit on the loo like many other bowel cancer patients. Instead, something completely else alerted the mum.
Bowel cancer often rings alarm bells when you visit the loo for a number two but this isn’t the only warning sign of the daunting condition.
In Daisy’s case, a common condition was the first red flag that led to a bowel cancer diagnosis.
She told Bowel Cancer UK: “I went into hospital to get a blood transfusion for severe anaemia.
“My levels were so low I’m not really sure how I was alive, which explains why going upstairs was like a marathon.
READ MORE: Smell that? Seven warning signs that can help uncover ‘difficult to spot’ bed bugs
“The doctors seemed a bit puzzled and put it down to heavy periods as I was only 35 so cancer was never mentioned – although it did cross my mind.”
Anaemia describes a condition in which you lack enough healthy red blood cells to carry an adequate amount of oxygen to your body’s tissues.
Leaving you tired and weak, anaemia can be triggered by various causes including deficiencies.
Daisy was prescribed iron tablets to tackle it but the treatment didn’t solve her problems so she kept going to her GP.
DON’T MISS
The NHS recommends seeing a GP if you have any of the symptoms of bowel cancer for three weeks or more.
Daisy had to undergo an operation that removed most of her colon as well as chemotherapy.
The woman added: “From the chemo stopping, the results of my scan and bloods came back in the summer, showing I’m cancer free.
“I’m still alive, still smiling, still positive, still full of life.”